I haven’t taken more than a few days off here and there since I started writing this blog in 2006 and that’s a long time.
I’ve also written numerous times that unwired vacations are critical to productivity and creativity.
The unwired part is especially critical — whether they are vacations or staycations.
Thus, from now until January 2 Mapping Company Success will go dark and I’ll indulge my staycation doing all the tuits I haven’t gotten ‘round to, which includes a clean, organized office.
Wow! I’m excited! (No sarcasm, I really am.)
That said, I do want to wish you a very special holiday before I unwire, so I looked for something special to share and I found it.
Something that fully embraces all my ambivalence of the season.
I recently had the opportunity to spend time speaking with Dave Crenshaw to discuss his new book, “The Power of Having Fun”.
The topic of the book can be a bit incomplete when looking at it without context, so let me expand on it. The book alone is not simply a guide for how you can have fun but more a lesson on how incorporating fun into your daily life will enhance productivity and lead to true happiness.
That can be a bold statement that a single book will somehow transform your life in some profound way, but Dave does a great job in providing concrete steps to help achieve a balance with work and life.
A little background on Dave Crenshaw to give some insight into how he realized a book on how to have fun was required.
Dave is a coach and speaker who has spent considerable time with high-performing folks in business. After he graduated from Brigham Young University he realized that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and coach. After working with a firm he decided to set out his own shingle and started hustling to form his own successful business.
I say all of this to point out that this book is not some theoretical novel written by a guy who sat in an ivory tower, Dave has been in the trenches and fully understands that life requires balance.
The premise of the book is simple enough. As work and home life start to blur we can become focused on ever more productivity, efficiency gains, and the bottom line. People have started to sacrifice taking vacations let alone spending a quality hour around the dinner table at home with family.
Careers have a tendency to become more and more demanding as we rise the ladder. Dave isn’t saying that should be abandoned, he is merely stating that an oasis, as he calls it, should be observed.
The first thing that stood out to me is the guilt that people feel when having fun.
A lot of times you see people take a great vacation or buy a new item they had lusted after, only to feel guilty for it after. As a society, we are taught that our reward comes after the hard work.
From a religious perspective, this is inherent, “our reward is in heaven” is a phrase you will hear often. As a result, we are wired to not take pleasure in fun until we have completed the task at hand.
Dave takes a different approach to this. His idea is to set up a block of time where we have determined that a fun activity will occur. This oasis allows you to relax and recharge, while also not skewing over to just wasting time.
Have you seen the business owner that cannot take a vacation out of fear that his employees will resent him? Or perhaps you have brought the laptop with you to Tahiti so you can remain connected to the office while forsaking family commitments.
Does this really advance us as a society?
Maybe in certain cases, but most humans need a balance to live.
One thing I like to always understand is how can we quantify this?
The simple answer here is to run an A/B test.
Go a week where you build in an oasis and then go another week without. See what the two outcomes are and determine if incorporating them into your life makes sense.
I am personally in a place where I have little kids and a busy wife. I feel guilty if I go out to lunch let alone go out for a night on the town because I know my wife struggles to have any time for herself.
When speaking with Dave about this he agreed that it can be tough. His solution though is to ensure my wife has her own oasis of time. Build it and plan them out and both parties can be happy without the guilt.
Now, you may be thinking that this book is only addressing a first world problem for high income earning folks. I would disagree.
An oasis of time does not require an elaborate trip to the Bahamas. It can simply be reading a book for thirty minutes or going out for a meal rather than cooking.
The idea is that a balance and time to recharge are required, but you should not put yourself in debt doing so.
The book addresses a range of topics from specific steps for how to build an oasis to how to deal with the emotional baggage that we all carry. The one takeaway Dave told me he would like people to have is this. “Fun is a priority, it must be planned because it’s easy to neglect.
From a tactical standpoint, the book is a fun read, has some great workbooks, and can be incorporated into your life immediately.
From a strategic view, this book has the ability to address long-standing guilt that we as a society have accrued.
I encourage those that are trying to find a balance in life to read it. The busy mom, the lonely workaholic, or the college grad. It is applicable to all and was a true pleasure to read.
His book is available now on both Amazon.com as well as national book retailers. To learn more about Dave visit his website.
I’ve written about all of them and for the same reason—they get it.
They get that people are their most valuable asset; they get that replacing them costs far more than the cost of an ad; they get that top talent is looking for more than a fat paycheck.
Lisa Horn, who tracks workplace policies for the Society for Human Resource Management, which represents more than 200,000 members from the HR departments of companies around the world, said many businesses, which, since the Great Recession, have forced employees do more with less, are facing new realities: Millennials who value time for both work and life, and fierce competition for the most highly skilled employees who can easily jump ship for something better. “Already 87 percent of employees say flexibility and balance is important or very important in their next job. So it would behoove companies to adopt these strategies for competitive advantage.”
Companies that get it thrive and not just in the short term.
SAS has been doing it successfully since 1976; so much so that Google’s very own Larry Page and Sergy Brin visited to learn SAS’ approach.
Family-owned Patagonia has doubled in size and tripled in profits since 2008; it has 2,000 employees around the globe and minimal turnover.
A comment from TSD (10/24/2014 5:38) on the Petagonia article sums it up nicely.
I never have figured out why treating your workers well is such a hard concept for so many businesses. I work harder and faster and better when I’m happy and not terrified. Granted, I’ve never owned a business, but it seems pretty simple. Miserable workers will not be productive.
It fits Alex Kostyrya, a Russian entrepreneur I e-met and have done work for on and off since 2010.
He’s a great guy and I Skyped him to see what’s been happening, since it’s been awhile, and wish him a great holiday week. (For those who don’t know, all Russian business is closed the first week in January—and I do mean all.)
Alex responded that he planned to relax the whole week.
I said that was good, better if he unwired, and that he would be far more productive when he came back.
I also said that he should be sure his team does the same and he said he would.
Many founders (and other managers) don’t realize that the team is their responsibility and making sure they take down time is important—they will be far more productive and creative if they get away completely (no texts, emails, calls, etc.).
It’s easy to lose site of the human side and needs in the heat of a startup, but when you get right down to it your people are your only real assets.
Alex agreed.
“The people are all I have now. Technologies have changed, the original project is gone, but our core team is the same as 3 years ago. I’m proud because whole last year we all work for nothing, without any financing. Now we have new people on the team and we plan to build a great company with them.”
Sometimes founders need to be tough and make sure their people really do take the time off and that doesn’t mean taking the work home or not take any work home.
It’s necessary because people are like batteries; they need to recharge and their families, friends and the physical world around them is their best generator.
Here’s how it works: once per year, we give each employee $7500 to go on vacation.
There are a few rules:
You have to go on vacation, or you don’t get the money.
You must disconnect.
You can’t work while on vacation.
While many startups may not be in a position to pay for vacations, every company can provide time off and enforce rules two and three.
Read CEO Bart Lorang’s rationale and think about how to get your own people to step back, disconnect and recharge.
You won’t regret it.
SUBMIT YOUR STORY Be the Thursday feature – Entrepreneurs: [your company name]
Share the story of your startup today.
Send it along with your contact information and I’ll be in touch.
Questions? Email or call me at 360.335.8054 Pacific time.
A Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read allIf the Shoe Fits posts here
Today is a mental health day.
(Try it; you might be surprised at the difference it makes!)
See you all tomorrow!
Option Sanity™ saves your time.
Come visit Option Sanity for an easy-to-understand, simple-to-implement stock allocation system. It’s so easy a CEO can do it.
Warning.
Do not attempt to use Option Sanity™ without a strong commitment to business planning, financial controls, honesty, ethics, and “doing the right thing.” Use only as directed.
Users of Option Sanity may experience sudden increases in team cohesion and worker satisfaction. In cases where team productivity, retention and company success is greater than typical, expect media interest and invitations as keynote speaker.
It doesn’t have to be 100% and every little bit helps.
Starting tomorrow through January 31st, MAPping Company Success will be silent for the first time since March, 2006; I’m also going to curtail my online reading (I’m not social, so I don’t have to stop that.).
I’m not planning a trip and I won’t stop working, because I can’t change client deadlines, but I will eliminate as much online activity as possible.
What will I do with all those free hours?
Clear and organize my office; something I’ve been fantasizing about and trying to do a bit here and a bit there all year.
Catch up on all the put-offable stuff of everyday life.
Winter garden clean-up if weather permits.
And, I hope, spend phone time with some of you.
Seriously, give me a call at 360.335.8054. I’m usually available between 8:30 and 11 PM, barring errands, lunches and gardening.
I’d love to talk to you about anything you want. Perhaps we can solve a problem you’re having or at least shed light on it; maybe you have a question, subject or pet peeve you want to hash out; or you’re curious and just want to chat and get to know each other.
I hope you’ll take me up on my invitation; conversation with new people is at the top of my holiday wish list.
I also hope you’ll follow my example, cut back your online activities and give that time to your family, friends or favorite cause.
Have a wonderful Chrismakwanzkkah (as a friend says) and I wish you great happiness and success in 2012.
Option Sanity™ — Do the Right Thing
Come visit Option Sanity for an easy-to-understand, simple-to-implement stock process. It’s so easy a CEO can do it.
Warning.
Do not attempt to use Option Sanity™ without a strong commitment to business planning, financial controls, honesty, ethics, and “doing the right thing.” Use only as directed.
Users of Option Sanity may experience sudden increases in team cohesion and worker satisfaction. In cases where team productivity, retention and company success is greater than typical, expect media interest and invitations as keynote speaker.
We’re coming up on that time of the year and considering the economic climate I thought this post from 2006 especially apropos.
Do you work hard? Did you, or will you, take a vacation this year? A real live vacation during which you actually disconnected from your office/business/work?
If your answer is no, you have a lot of company. The attitude/action even has a name, it’s called “shrinking-vacation syndrome” and it’s prevalent.
Smart bosses know that people need to get away, not just to recharge their batteries and creativity, but to reduce stress and rebuild coping skills. Taking the office along defeats the purpose—especially in these days of ‘staycations’.
Smart people know that cramming everything possible into the available time (especially when kids are involved) leaves them more frazzled than they were at the start.
But if you’re not PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has taken to shutting down its entire national operation twice a year to ensure that people stop working, what can you do?
Several things…
If your company offers paid vacations insist that your employees use them. Not by taking them away when not used, but by including “staff taking vacations” as a line item in every manager’s review.
If you’re a small biz that can’t offer paid vacations consider allowing your employees to trade paid holidays for different days they want, e.g., working July Fourth and Thanksgiving in trade for a Friday and the following Monday off.
Small biz owners should also consider closing one Friday with pay at least once, preferably twice, a year, e.g., the Friday after Thanksgiving (or a similar day). Consider it an investment as the ROI in increased productivity and retention will surprise you.
If you’re one of the many managers, found at all levels and in all sizes of companies, who don’t believe in vacations and intimidate your people so they don’t take one, or insist that they “deal with stuff” while gone, I sincerely hope you have few personal expectations and excellent hiring skills, since you can look forward to low productivity, high turnover, and poor reviews no matter where you work!
Entrepreneurs face difficulties that are hard for most people to imagine, let alone understand. You can find anonymous help and connections that do understand at 7 cups of tea.
Crises never end.
$10 really does make a difference and you’ll never miss it,
The holidays are here. Few real startups are in a position to throw lavish parties — or even modest ones.
It fits 
Most people know the value of real vacations—the kind where you totally disconnect from work—at least hypothetically.
Today is a mental health day.
Do you work hard? Did you, or will you, take a vacation this year? A real live vacation during which you actually disconnected from your office/business/work?
